Latching device for load arms for spinning machines



June 29, 1965 SHIGEMATSU TAKITA 3,

LATCHING DEVICE FOR LOAD ARMS FOR SPINNING MACHINES Filed Feb. 6, 1962 9 INVENTOR SHIGEMATSU TAKITA BY M7 ATTORNEY United States Patent ice 3,191,237 LATCHING DEVICE FOR LOAD ARMS FOR SPINNING MACHINES Shigematsu Takita, Takarazuka, Hyogo,.lapan, assignor to Meiko Bold Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan Filed Feb. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 171,523 7 Claims. (Cl. 19-267) This invention relates to textile machines and, more, particularly, to a latching mechanism for the load arms of spinning machines.

It is the chief object of the invention to provide a device by which such arms may be positively but releasably held in lowered or operating position wherein the top rollers carried thereby are in operating or contacting relation with respective lower rollers, or in raised position out of contact with such lower rollers.

A second object is to provide a latching mechanism, as aforesaid, which is relatively simple to fabricate and assemble, positive in operation in holding the arm either in operating or in raised positions, as well as in effecting release of the arm from either of such positions.

Another object is to provide a mechanism as aforesaid, which makes it extremely easy and convenient to individually release each arm from either position and to move it to the other position and lock it there, as required in operation of such machines.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a study of the following detailed description in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in section, of the pivoted end of a load arm embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective detail view of the clamping ring;

I FIGURE 3 is a section taken in planes identified by the broken line A-B-C, FIG. 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing the stop element for the load arm.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 1 identifies a fixed rod or lever on the roller stand. The load arm is identified at 2 and, as shown upon FIGURE 3, in-

' cludes right and left depending side walls whose lower ends define an inverted U-shaped hub having aligned apertures sized for a smooth fit on the rod, so that the arm may be pivoted from its operating position shown in full lines upon FIG. 1, to a raised position as indicated by the dotdash lins of the same figure which show a portion only of arm.

The load arm extends to the left as viewed upon FIG. 1 and has mounted thereon roller spindle bearing supports, one of which is identified at 5, with its bearing 4 for spindie or shaft 3. The load arm includes a plate 6 to which the several supports are secured for longitudinal adjustment therealong. In the model illustrated this adjustment is provided by a cap screw 8 which is threaded into a tapped hole in support 5 and passes through a longitudinal slot 7 in plate 6. Adjustment is effected in an obvious way by loosening screw 8 and re-tightening after support 5 has been moved to the desired position.

A split clamping ring 9, of special form is fixed about rod 1 by cap screw 10, FIG. 1, between the side walls of arm 2. From FIG. 2 it is noted that this ring is formed with a ridge, or abutment 12 extending axially along a peripheral portion thereof, and a nose or projection 11 which extends upwardly and to the left, as the parts are viewed upon FIG. 1. A solid planar reinforcement 13 extends over one-half the axial dimension of the ring while the remaining half curves from nose 11 downwardly, then merges smoothly into a cylindrical surface centered on the axis of rod 1, to abutment 12.

3,191,231 Patented June 29, 1965 A shaft 14 has end bearings 23 by which it is mounted in and between the vertical side walls of load arm 2. A latch 16 is pivotally disposed upon this shaft and includes a hooked end, and a cam-engaging surface 16'. When the arm is in the working position shown, latch 16 may engage over nose 11 of ring 9 and, when held in this position, locks or holds the arm against clockwise rotation about rod 1. A spring 17 acts between an abutment 22 on the wall of arm 2 and a second abutment 22' on the latch, to urge the latter out of locking engagement with the nose 11, that is, clockwise as the parts are viewed upon FIG. 1.

A second shaft 15 is journaled by and between the side walls of the arm and has a squared portion on which a cam 21 is fixed and disposed so that when in the position shown upon FIG. 1, it engages surface 16' of latch 16 to hold it in arm-locking position over nose 11. One end of a manually-operable lever 20 depends through a slot 6 in the upper or right part of the arm and is there fixed to shaft 15. The other end of this lever extends over the projecting or distal end of arm plate 6, as is clear from inspection of FIGURE 1. When the lever is raised from the locking position shown, that is, when it is rotated clockwise, cam 21 is thereby turned to free latch 16, which then rotates under the urge of spring 17, out of engagement with nose 11.

A generally triangular stop member 18 is shown in perspective upon FIGURE 4 and has a bearing aperture 24 by which it is journaled upon shaft 14. From FIGURE 3 it is noted that this stop member is mounted upon the right end of shaft 14 and that one end 18 is axially offset to lie in a common plane with a cam surface 20' of lever 20. See also FIGS. 1 and 4. A spring 19 is wound about the shaft and has one bent end or apex engaging stop 18 and another in contact with abutment 22, FIG. 1, to thereby urge the stop counterclockwise as viewed upon FIG. 1, with a limiting position in contact with cam surface 20'.

Stop 18 has a second apex or tip 18 which in the position of FIG. 1 lies closely adjacent that position of nose 11 which extends sharply downwardly, then upwardly, or, in other words, that position opposite the reinforced portion 13. Reference to FIG. 3 also shows that the latch 16 is essentially coplanar in a plane normal to the axis of rod 1, with reinforced or planar part 13 of ring 9, so that when the latch is released under the urge of spring 17 and arm 2 is raised or pivoted clockwise, the hook on latch 16 rides on and along this reinforcement and hence is held thereby in a limited position of counterclockwise rotation.

In operation, when the parts are in the positions shown upon FIG. 1, cam 21 holds latch 16 in position locking arm 2 in operating position. When it is desired to raise the arm, lever 20 is raised as indicated by arrow a, thus rotating cam 21 to a position wherein spring 17 may act to move the hooked end of latch 16 off nose 11. The arm and parts assembled therewith, including stop 18, may now be rotated or raised to the dot-dash line position of FIG. 1. When lever 20 is pivoted clockwise relatively to arm 2, cam surface 20 correspondingly pivots stop 18 about the axis of shaft 14. This moves the tip of the stop radially of ring 9 so that it can clear abutment or ridge 12 thereon.

When the parts are in the raised position indicated in dot-dash lines, FIG. 1, counterclockwise pivoting of lever 20 relatively to the raised arm 2, releases stop 18 for counterclockwise pivoting as indicated by arrow b, under the urge of spring 19. The stop is thus moved to a position behind or in contact with ridge 12 so that, although the mass center of the arm assembly is to the left of the axis of rod 1, the arm is, nevertheless, positively held in raised position.

It should be noted that the arm may be moved to, and locked in raised position even although lever 20 is moved to the position shown upon FIG. 1, before the arm has The arm and lever are then rotated as a unit until the arm is in the operating position shown. The lever is pressed down to, lock the hook of latch 16over nose 11.".

The inventionthus provides a device which fulfills all the objects previously stated. The load arm is easily and positively fixed in its operating position, and as easily released by a slight pivoting of lever 20 and raised.

When in the upper'position it can be quickly secured against rotation under the influence of gravity, merely by pressing the lever downto its position shown relatively to arm 2, thus releasably securing the arm in raised position until released by reverse pivoting of the -'lever relatively'to the arm. The device is simple and inexpensive 7 tion, to thereby hold said arm in operating position, to a second position released from said first projection,..,means urging said latch to second position, a cam mounted on said arm for pivotal movement from locking to release positions and, in looking position, engaging and holding saidilatch in first position, movement'of said cam to I release position freeing said latch for movement to secondv position, a lever fixed with said cam and operable to pivot the same, between its said locking and release positions, a second fixed projection, a stop member pivoted on said arm and having a position normally lying in the path of'said second projection as said army is raised,

a spring means engaging said stop member and. urging to produce in quantities and efiects large savings in time I 1 where many arms mustbe raised for ajustment and then a V lowered. It will be understood that the rollers on shaft or shafts'S are urged. downwardly by 'spring mo'untings which, beink known in the art, are not shown.

In the claimsthe term operating position as referred to the load arm, means a position wherein the top rollers carried thereby are in contact .or operative relation with the corresponding lower rollers of the machine. The term raised position or raised,? as referred to the load arm, means a position wherein'the rollers carried thereby are separated from the corresponding lower rollers. a

Having fully disclosed the invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letter Patent:

1. A load arm mechanism for a textile machine, comoperable lever carried by saidarm for movement between first and second positions relatively to said arm, a fixed abutment, first means operated by movement of said-lever to first position when said arm is insoperating the same into the path of said second projection, and

means operated by movement of. said lever in rotating said cam to release position, to engage and pivot said stop member out of the path of said second fixed projection, against the urge of said spring'means.

4. In a load arm mechanism. fora spinning machine, a fixed rod, a load armhaving'a hub portion comprising spaced depending walls journaled on said rod to 'mount said arm'for pivotal movement from a first operating position to a raisedposition, a ring fixed with said rod and including an upwardly-directed nose, a latch mounted by and between said walls ofv said'load arm for'pivotal movement from a first position whereina hooked end of said latch engages said nose ofsaid ring to hold the arm in operating position, to a second position releasing said hooked end from said nose, a spring urging said latch to second position, a cam mounted by and betweensaid walls and, rotatable from a latching position engaging and holding said latch in its said first position, to a position releasing said latch for pivoting to second position,

prising, a load arm journaled for rotation about a fixed V c axis, from an operating to a raised position, a manually "position, to engage said fixed abutment and thereby releasably secure said arm in operating position about said axis, and second meansoperated by movementof said lever to'first positionwhen said arm is raised, to releasably secure said arm in raised position,'moveme nt of said lever to second position when said arm is raised operating said second means to free said arm for rotation to operating position. '2. A load-arm mechanism for a textile, machine, comprising, a fixed rod, a load arm including an inverted U-shaped hub defining 'a bight'portion and spaced depending side walls journaled on said rod whereby said and between said walls and manually .pivotable relatively to said arm, from a first position o ccupying said slot, to

'a second position projecting through and out of'said slot, first means operated by rotation of said lever to first posiand a lever fixed with said cam and manually actuable positions.

5. A'load-arm mechanism as in claim 4,-a ridge on said ring angularly; spaced from said nose, and a stop member pivoted by and betweensaid walls and having first and second Ilprojections engageable respectively with said lever-and said 'ridge,apivoting of said lever to release position relatively to said arm, effecting corresponding pivoting of said member to. move said second projection out ofthe way of said ridge, pivoting of said lever to latching position relatively to said arm when said arm is raised, pivoting said member to position said second projectionfor engagementwith said ridge to thereby releasably hold said arm in raised position. v

6. Aload arm mechanism as'in claim 4, a first shaft mounted by and between said walls, said latch and member being pivotally and independently mounted on said to move the same between latching and releasing V first shaft. a

tion to 'releasably secure said arm in operating position,

and to release said arm when said lever is in second 'posi-.

tion, and second means operated by movement of ,said

lever to first position, when said arm is raised, to releasably secure said arm in raised position.

3. In a load armmechanism for a spinning machine, a

rod, aload arm pivoted on-said'rod for rotation from" a f 71A load arm mechanism as in claim 6, a second shaft .journaled by and between said arms,said camjbeing fixed with said second shaft; I

2,353,333 7/44 Hess 19267 2,814,838 .12/57, Dausch 19267 X i FOREIGN PATENTS;

l,030,206 3/53j France."

527,446 13/55 Italy.

OTHER REFERENCES I Kubler: German application, 1,049,749, printed January 29, 9.

DONALD PARKER, Primary Examiner: v 

1. A LOAD ARM MECHANISM FOR A TEXTILE MACHINE, COMPRISING, A LOAD ARM JOURNALED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A FIXED AXIS, FROM AN OPERATING TO A RAISED POSITION, A MANUALLY OPERABLE LEVER CARRIED BY SAID ARM FOR MOVEMENT BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS RELATIVELY TO SAID ARM, A FIXED ABUTMENT, FIRST MEANS OPERATED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER TO FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID ARM IS IN OPERATING POSITION, TO ENGAGE SAID FIXED ABUTMENT AND THEREBY RELEASABLY SECURE SAID ARM IN OPERATING POSITION ABOUT SAID AXIS, AND SECOND MEANS OPERATED BY MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER TO FIRST POSITION WHEN SAID ARM IS RAISE, TO RELEASABLY SECURE SAID ARM IN RAISED POSITION, MOVEMENT OF SAID LEVER TO SECOND POSITION WHEN SAID ARM IS RAISED OPERATING SAID SECOND MEANS TO FREE SAID ARM FOR ROTATION TO OPERATING POSITION. 